JoMo

The new Irving Elementary school will hold it's first classes tomorrow. (unless school is cancelled due to the remaining snow) Irving was one of the schools destroyed in the tornado. I'm not sure but I think Soaring Heights Elementary and East Middle open tomorrow as well.

The final draft of the NIST report on the Joplin tornado is up on the NIST website now. It is in PDF format: http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=914787

Been a couple of months since an update. Next week will be the 2 1/2 year mark since the tornado. Some new numbers were released today. Joplin lost an estimated 4.1% of it's population after the tornado. Also 90% of both businesses and homes/apartments that were damaged/destroyed in the tornado have been rebuilt or are under permit. A youtube video showing construction progress of the schools: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgAUyl7yA2g One of JHS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTcH8IXbLz4 There's still $275,000 left over in the First Response tornado fund. $50,000 was recently given to Children's Haven in order for them to build a storm shelter. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x135004422/Tornado-board-approves-grant-for-storm-shelter Rebuild Joplin recently opened their 100th home (they repair or rebuild homes for people) http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/2013/11/06/rebuild-joplin-100th-home-since-tornado/3455179/ Drury University has been in Joplin building a butterfly/healing garden at Cunningham Park.They hope to have it finished by next May 22nd. http://www.koamtv.com/story/23922068/students-help-rebuild-cunningham-park-in-joplin

It's been another month and a half since my last update and recovery continues. Irving, Soaring Heights Elementary and East Middle School should open Jan 6th 2014. Well-wishers left messages to the students of Irving: http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x862160147/Well-wishers-leave-messages-for-Irving-students The Joplin Senior Transitional Living project got past it's next to last hurdle, all that's required is a vote by the city council to authorize the construction of it. 80 rooms for assisted living, patio type homes, and 24 memory care rooms. Probably going to start building on that early next year. http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/91bfda0e9b0545df8ad8f11023fcfd02/MO--Joplin-Senior-Living Developers want public input on what to put at the old St. Johns hospital site. From the public input sessions, it seemed like some kind of museum was most wanted. http://www.ky3.com/news/sns-ap-mo--joplin-hospital-site-20130827,0,7075642.story A study by Troy University says that government can improve disaster response by allowing the private sector and volunteers to take the lead. http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/09/tornado_study_government_can_i.html I can say that in Joplin, the local government had a pretty big 'hands off' approach. They cleared roads and helped the other agencies that were wanting to help. The state government did as well, as they simply asked the local government what it needed and provided that to them. They didn't try to micromanage the situation. The federal people attempted to institute a 'pass' type system for getting into the tornado zone area but that failed horribly a few hours after it started when they ran out of passes and there were long lines, so it was called off and they just had a curfew and National Guard troops patrolling. Overall, the private/volunteer organizations took over with the government supporting them, and the recovery went extremely well.

The color in the picture is perhaps a little more red than it should be. Joplin is an old mining town. Lead and zinc were mined here, and the red color is probably due to the large levels of Hematite. It's very rocky ground and very red/orange colored. I met a guy who was part of a church group that had come down from Minnesota to clean up tornado debris. He was taking a rust colored rock back home since he had never seen that color of rock before. 426 out of 1091 yards tested had high lead levels after the tornado and had to have soil remediation. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/nationworld/2013-07-22/joplin-tornado-damaged-yards-have-high-lead-levels.html

Another month, another update. Progress continues going well on rebuilding. The neighborhood that I've taken numerous pictures of has come back to life and is almost back to where it was pre-tornado, minus the trees, of course. The schools are being rebuilt on schedule except for Joplin High School which may be a bit behind schedule. Community storm shelters are being built and some will be finished by next March (dual purpose use at the schools) Progress on Mercy hospital to replace the one destroyed continues. A lot can change in a year. (top is one year ago, bottom is one year later) Closeup of the building.. Windows will be in all patient rooms by December:

There's been some more news recently on the rebuilding projects. A preliminary spending proposal on how to spend the $113 million community block grant passed the city council. *$21 million for sidewalks and disability ramps. *$29.5 million for sewer/stormwater repair/replacement. *$3.7 million for street paving. *$1.6 million for tree planting. *$500k for job training. *$500k to build a "Green Neighborhood" *$750k for mental health services. *$3.6 million for industrial park street and sewer extension. *$3.5 million for grant auditing and administration. *$10.35 million for green streetscaping 20th street (a community meeting did not like the ideas they have for this, so it may not happen) *$40.4 million for the "Joplin Commons"...... This includes a two-story fieldhouse. The fieldhouse would include an indoor competition swimming pool, indoor basketball and soccer courts, a walking track and large meeting rooms. Also included in this is $2.7 million for Little League and T-ball fields and a skatepark. Also included in this project is a new senior center with exercise rooms and a therapy pool. Also, Missouri has given the city $14.7 million to repair curbs and gutters that were damaged during tornado cleanup. But that's not all..... The city master developer has finalized land acquisition on a couple of projects. One being the development of the library/movie theater on 20th, as well as a grocery store and either a gym, or restaurant to finish up that project. There is another grocery store planned at 26th and Main with loft apartments and the final project for now... the senior transitional center just up the street from me. (patio houses, assisted living and memory care)

The ASCE report for the Joplin tornado has been released. It found that most of the structures in the path were poorly constructed. 83% of the damage was EF-2, 14% of the damage was EF-3, and 4% of the damage was EF-4. There were no structures built to withstand an EF-5 in the path. Flying debris made the damage much worse. Maximum winds were still near 200-208 MPH. The ASCE recommended hurricane straps to tie the roof on, which is something all new homes in Joplin must have now. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x120729257/Civil-engineers-release-study-of-Joplin-tornado-damage Last of the FEMA trailers leaving FEMAville. “I’ve been involved with 20 direct housing sites of all different sizes, from 20 in Oregon to Hurricane Katrina,” Fiorini said. “I have to say, Joplin is what I would call a model for FEMA operation. It has less to do with FEMA individually but rather what the community has been able to do — partnerships where everyone came to the table. The community effort here has just been absolutely tremendous.” “It’s very respectable,” Fiorini said of the timeline in which Joplin occupants found housing. “Not a lot (of disaster areas) happen like this. This is a very large housing mission which required a lot of assets, a lot of coordination, so to get to where we are in two years is pretty commendable.” http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x157727395/Last-of-586-FEMA-trailers-in-Joplin-to-be-prepared-for-move

This is an update to one of the stories right after the tornado about Lage Grigsby and Mason Lillard. They are young cousins that were in a truck at Home Depot when they were hit by the tornado. Lage suffered a traumatic brain injury and wasn't expected to make it as his skull was fractured and he actually had brain matter oozing out of the crack that was contaminated with gravel and other debris. Mason was impaled from her shoulder through her lung and down out her backside and had to be cut out of the truck. Lage had nearly 1/4 of his brain removed. When Lage came out of his medically induced coma, he couldn't walk or talk and was thought to have the mentality of an 8 year old. Doctors weren't sure he'd recover. http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/09/3004523/mending-joplins-children.html Fast forward two years...... Mason has had 11 surgeries with 1 more to go. She has scoliosis due to her injuries but other than that, she's fine. Lage has very little use of his right arm and he wears a leg brace but other than that, he's doing well. He rides four-wheelers and has his permit and is looking forward to getting his drivers license. http://www.miamiok.com/news/article_7c23f309-8a16-5f00-81b9-af54c131520d.html PepsiCo has sent volunteers along with $500,000 to Joplin's Habitat for Humanity. 71 houses built by Habitat since the tornado and counting. http://www.koamtv.com/story/22540302/pepsico-habitat-build-homes-in-joplin

This was from the weather channel about the new hospital. Even shows the new 250 MPH glass testing. I thought this was a pretty good little summary of the last 2 years or so. Includes video of the Will Norton Memorial Field that just opened.

Couple of FB photos from KOLR TV: https://www.facebook.com/kolr10kozl This used to be where St. Johns was (i think). The new St John's (Mercy) Hosptial: Cunningham Park today looking back at rebuilt houses: Steelwork for Joplin High School continues:

Which one? There's been a few? Some from Mercy and some from Freeman. I know I saw Dr. Veer giving presentations about Freeman.

Two years ago at about this time the tornado was on the ground tearing through Joplin. There's not nearly as many people up at Cunningham Park this year for the ceremony. I'd estimate around 1,000-1,500 compared to the 10,000 last year. Gov. Nixon came to announce an EDA grant to build a library/movie theater and Drury University is going to build a healing garden at Cunningham. People painting "Stars of Hope" for Moore, OK.

Tomorrow it'll be 2 years since the Joplin tornado. Rebuilding is still going strong. Had a scare last night with an area of rotation to our southwest that passed south of the city, but the sirens did sound 3 times. Thanks to the 176,869+ volunteers who have helped Joplin continue to rebuild. http://www.joplinglobe.com/tornadomay2011/x730882007/FACES-OF-RECOVERY-176-869-volunteers-help-put-Joplin-together-again Joplin is sending help to Moore, OK. I know a lot of local churches are collecting things as well. http://www.koamtv.com/story/22378452/joplin-to-moore-we-understand-and-were-here-for-you Reuters story about Joplin and Moore: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-usa-tornadoes-joplin-idUSBRE94K1AA20130521 Janet Napolitano will be in Joplin tomorrow to give an award to Joplin. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x319992436/Janet-Napolitano-to-speak-at-tornado-anniversary-ceremony

Coming up on the 2 year anniversary since the tornado in a couple of weeks. On the anniversary this year, the city is going to have a 'picnic-like' atmosphere at Cunningham park with individual booths setup from various organizations highlighting the achievements in the past 2 years. http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/378596/3/Joplin-to-host-program-commemorating-2nd-anniversary-of-tornado Drury University will be there gathering stories. (it's a little late for that since stories change IMO) They've been very active since the tornado. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x508494364/Drury-students-to-document-stories-of-the-Joplin-tornado Mercy Hospital (to replace St. Johns) is still on schedule. They are actually working with companies to create stronger glass. Right now they plan to have 110 MPH glass in all public areas, 140 MPH glass in patient rooms and 250 MPH glass in ICU rooms. They are also hardening their generators and central areas. Much more can be read here: http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-1/COM-291727/Mercy-Readies-TornadoTough-450M-Joplin-Hospital Will Norton Miracle Field recently had their first game a few days ago. It's a baseball field that was created so children with disabilities could play baseball. The playing surface is rubberized to prevent injuries. 47 players from age 5-20 played in their first game. (photo KZRG) Mennonite Disaster Services recently concluded their operations in Joplin. They were a huge help. 3,300+ volunteers served and they completed 125 cleanups, 23 minor repairs, 25 major repairs and nine new builds as well as well as 12 new builds that they didn't completely finish. http://www.mennoworld.org/2013/4/29/mds-concludes-joplin-project/ Joplin Habitat for Humanity has finished 66 homes since the tornado. An article with some information about storm shelters, the cost, and it mentions that about 1/2 of new homes constructed in Joplin now have storm shelters. You can also see a picture of the new Community Storm Shelter at Irving school. http://www.joplinglobe.com/cnhi_special_projects/x6223380/Against-the-wind-Tornado-veterans-balance-preparedness-practicality

New video... can't really tell much from it though. Joplin Schools settled the lawsuit against them for the debris removal: http://www.lebanondailyrecord.com/news/state/article_8f491d6a-20b6-5357-b44a-d75268fd79c6.html A man is going to prison for disaster fraud after lying to FEMA and trying to get disaster benefits. http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=797812 Also at 26th and Main (where the Salvation Army store was and what was identified as a 'Bowling Alley' by Tim Marshall) is going to be a grocery store with loft apartments. The land has been purchased for a retirement village/area near 26th and Maiden Lane across from where the hospital was. So there are many projects planned and underway in the tornado zone. Also a loft and grocery store and retail area is planned by 20th and Connecticut. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1097425497/Master-developer-plans-project-at-26th-and-Main Here's a breakdown of all the building permits issued. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x2094922563/Joplin-s-rebuilding-numbers-show-no-signs-of-letting-up An estimated 8,100 trees have been replanted after the estimated loss of 15,000-20,000.

That was frightening and quick.

A couple of important things have happened recently. It was announced that the FEMA trailer park would be cleared by the June 7th deadline. Out of 586 units after the tornado, 32 are left. 21 of those have plans for permanent housing. 11 others do not have a plan but FEMA will donate the 11 housing units to Catholic Charities and the city will pay to have them moved to other trailer parks or properties. Catholic Charities will then be involved in case management in order to get the occupants of those 11 housing units permanent housing. Steel started going up at the new Joplin High School yesterday. The old high school would have probably been right across from the church in the background. I think the apartments on the left side are the Hampshire Terrace II apartments. (since the original ones were destroyed) And the houses on the right side of the pic are all rebuilt from nothing after the tornado. Rebuild Joplin recently completed their 59th house. They have it down to a science almost and Toyota came in and helped streamline the process. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x1221093473/Rebuild-Joplin-celebrates-opening-of-59th-house Jeff and Kathryn Piotrowski were on Reed Timmer's podcast earlier tonight. They announced they would be planting trees in Joplin this Spring. Jeff has some of the most entertaining storm chaser stories I have ever heard including Joplin. They should add the podcast on their website in a few days. Jeff tells some amazing chasing stories. http://tvnweather.com/podcasts

Well, it's been another month or so since I last updated. There's still a lot of homes and businesses being built, Goodwill just reopened for instance. I find it amazing how quickly you get used to new surroundings. For the next 5 days or so (maybe longer) you can get the Kindle edition of Randy Turner's new book "Scars from the Tornado" for free. It's basically all about East Middle School (where he teaches) It has stories from students about what they experienced, etc... http://www.amazon.com/Scars-from-the-Tornado-ebook/dp/B00BPSRTDC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362925081&sr=8-2&keywords=Scars+from+the+Tornado The number of people still at the FEMA trailer park is now down to 35 or fewer. The Tornado Services Center there is closing at the end of the month. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x36439010/Tornado-services-center-to-close-soon Sean Casey with the TIV and Don Burgess stopped by East and North Middle School a few days ago as part of the Tornado Alley Outreach tour. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x564672665/Vortex-2-tornado-chasing-team-visits-East-and-North-middle-schools A group from New York was in Joplin learning how to rebuild and recover after Sandy. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x564665821/New-Yorkers-in-Joplin-to-study-rebuilding-efforts-to-help-Hurricane-Sandy-victims Habitat for Humanity will finish 71 total houses since the Joplin tornado by the anniversary that is just 2 short months away and workers completed the steel skeleton for the new Mercy hospital last week.

It's a very nice report. I've been looking for this video for some time. It's taken at the KSN parking lot I believe which is at 1502 Cleveland Ave. Their tower cam got the tornado and it's been posted before. This camera is facing south and maybe southeast towards the end. I believe they are talking about that lighter looking funnel shaped cloud that is hanging pretty low to them and they are worried about it touching down as well. The tornado takes up the left 1/2 of the entire background at this time. I believe I saw that lighter looking cloud when I looked out the window right before the tornado hit. I believed it was part of the wall cloud. Anyone know if that's what it is?

Great report. I remember reading the articles that you got some of that information from, very engaging well written blog. A couple of pictures I had not seen either. Just a few things. 7th and Blackcat is on the northwest side of Joplin. Also: "At 5:31 pm, prodded on by information from Piotrowski and the Springfield NWS office, Stammer took the unprecedented step to activate the city’s sirens for a second time." I believe that's what Stammer said in one of the newspaper articles, but that's not correct. The tornado was on the ground before the second sirens sounded as evidenced by the Jeff P. chase video and the sirens had just started sounding when it was crossing over Schifferdecker. I would estimate that it was 5:35 or 5:36 at that time and the tornado had already moved through the Cedar Ridge subdivision without sirens sounding. "A life flight helicopter was blown from the top of the hospital and destroyed." This was from the NWS report. The helicopter never landed on the roof. It landed beside the ER, where it basically was in the picture taken of it after the tornado. "The big-box store was no match for the fury of the wind, and a large exterior wall collapsed on Wells as he led two children to safety. All three were killed." While true, the father of the kids was also killed and he still had them in his arms when the concrete wall crushed all four of them. "including Sports Academy" It's Academy Sports.

Joplin Globe ran a story today about the fungus and about a couple of people who impacted and where they think the fungus may have came from. Fungus: *Largest documented cluster of apophysomyces cases in the world. *Needs to be deeply implanted into the skin to start an infection. *Is not a human disease, so it doesn't know how to react in the human body and the body doesn't know how to fight it. *Grows extremely rapidly. *Possibly came from a couple of ponds early in the tornado path, since this type of fungus grows well in water. (these would be the same ponds where Will Norton's body was recovered, and it's about 1/4-1/2 mile from me) Steven Weersing: 17 years old now. *Chances of survival were placed at 5-10% *Doctors cut away four ribs and part of his chest wall to stop the fungus. *He's having a baby... his girlfriend's due date is May 22nd. Patients continue fight with rare fungus contracted after tornado http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x1633471446/Patients-continue-fight-with-rare-fungus-contracted-during-tornado If you want to see a picture of Steven Weersing's giant chest scar mentioned in the above story: http://davideulitt.com/#/joplin-tornado/portrait_joplin_tornado_scars_2 EDIT:As of Feb 12th..... Joplin has crossed over the 1,003,000+ work hours mark from 160,000+ registered volunteers. 84% of the properties that were damaged or destroyed are under permit for reconstruction/repairs.

Another monthly update: The FEMA housing site is now down to 45 families. That's down from 75 in December and a peak of 586 after the tornado. FEMA started charging rent in November and it cleared out pretty quickly after that. 55 senior housing units will be opening soon which will probably lead to a further reduction in the number of people living there. Charity groups are still working in Joplin to rebuild homes: http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1633467743/Joplin-family-grateful-to-guardian-angels-for-new-home http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10373304.htm Missouri National Guard recently pulled out the last soldier it had in Joplin. It once had 377 men/women assigned to the area. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x503834416/Missouri-National-Guard-pulls-out-last-soldier-assigned-to-help-area-after-2011-tornado And yes... lots of people are still scared to death of storms... http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=760502 A few concept renderings of the new Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center:

yeah, his youtube channel is still active at youtube.com/will His last video was after the Feb 1st 2011 snowstorm. He made this video in 2009, saying he nearly died during a bad storm and that he shouldn't worry about the weather since he drives a Hummer. Tornado: 1, Hummer: 0.

Nope, St. Johns was on 26th and Maiden Lane and the new hospital is at 50th and Main. The new site gives them access to I-44 which is seen in the picture. Here's the vision for the old St. Johns site. Haven't heard anything about the museum but Mercy planted wildflowers at their Memorial Garden a few weeks ago. Stained Glass Theater took possession of their donated land and are working towards raising enough money to rebuild. The school is in the process of building.